Hostgator Dedicated Server Review
Choosing the right hosting is critical when it comes to getting your website online. There are a lot of hosting providers operating in the market, but few of them are as reliable and secure as Hostgator for web hosting. Catering to various types of customers, they have the technology and the know-how to provide high levels of service. When it comes to getting the best, though, nothing beats Hostgator dedicated server. This review will explain what it is and the benefits it offers.
What is Dedicated Hosting?
Before we move on to Hostgator, it is imperative that you know what dedicated server hosting is and what it entails. Most providers focus on shared hosting, which is where they lump you in with hundreds of other customers on a single server. It may cost less, but you have limited access to strained resources. Uptime is an issue as well, among other things.
Dedicated hosting, unlike its shared counterpart, is where you have the entire server to yourself. As expected, it costs much more, but only you have access to the resources – no one else. This translates to your website being faster to your visitors; you also have more disk space and bandwidth at your disposal, as well as the fact that you can run more memory intensive applications.
Why Choose Dedicated Hosting? What are its Benefits?
As you have read above, you have access to far more resources in dedicated hosting than is available on shared hosting plans. Without getting technical, let us take a look at how it can be advantageous to you.
- Security – On shared hosting plans you share the server with others, some of whom may have malicious intent. This is not the case on dedicated servers. There is also the fact that these servers have added security measures that help protect against breaches and other problems that may arise in shared hosting.
- Flexibility – Having your own server means that you have full control over the hardware and software. This means you have more choice in different areas. You can choose your own operating system, features, hardware, and many other things that are simply not possible in shared hosting, VPS, or other types of hosting services.
- Scalability – It is easy to switch to a different package or upgrade when the need arises. If you want to run memory intensive applications, you can add more RAM. Need more disk space? Add another hard drive. Want more bandwidth? Buy some. These are benefits that are unheard of in other types of hosting.
- Service – You will be a more important customer as you are hiring an entire server. This translates to a better level of service. Support is better, so any problems are likely to be resolved promptly. Your server is also monitored 24/7, so any issues that may pop up will be fixed quickly.
Choosing Between Windows or Linux
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As it stands, Hostgator offers two types of dedicated server hosting – Windows and Linux. While the features remain mostly the same, the price difference between the two makes them distinct. So, what separates these two types?
Although Linux is not used widely by home users, it is an excellent operating system for servers. It is praised for offering unparalleled security, speed, and its support for various web technologies and applications that you may need to use. Hostgator’s Linux dedicated server plans come with CentOS with full root access. It is considered one of the best operating systems for servers. You also get CPanel for controlling your server. CPanel is, without doubt, the best control panel in the hosting industry. It is extremely powerful and easy to use, which has made its widespread adoption easy to understand.
If you need alternative applications and technologies such as ASP, ASP.NET, Frontpage Extensions, and Microsoft SQL Database, among others, then Hostgator’s Windows dedicated server plans are for you. They use Windows Server 2008 R2, which is considered one of the best server operating systems in the industry. Their plans come with Remote Desktop as well, enabling you to remotely login to your server and make changes as necessary. Hostgator’s plans also come with IIS web server, SmarterMail Professional Mail Server, and various other Windows-based applications. If you need any of these software or applications then their Windows plans will be great for you.
Hostgator Dedicated Server Pricing Plans
Hostgator offers a number of dedicated server hosting plans suitable for various levels of customers. Their Linux plans start at $174/month, going all the way up to $374. Windows plans cost the same, though fewer resources are provided, most probably due to licensing costs and other factors.
All plans come with Intel quad core processors that offer speed and the flexibility of multitasking. Their lowest plan features Intel Xeon 3360 with 2GB DDR3 memory, dual 250GB hard drives, 10 TB bandwidth, 5 dedicated IPs, and choice of CPanel or Plesk (depending on operating system chosen). This goes all the way up to 8GB DDR3 RAM and dual 500GB hard drives for those who need them.
All of the Hostgator dedicated server plans are fully managed. You do not have to know about server management techniques. Instead, you get the services of Hostgator’s team that will maintain your server full-time, making necessary tweaks and changes as time goes on. This helps keep your website and server running smoothly and in excellent condition, without you having to worry about anything.
Choosing the Right Plan
Hostgator offers four different plans. If you have a few large websites that do not consume a lot of memory then their Basic plans are great for you. The Standard plans are excellent if you need more bandwidth; the added processing power and RAM will also be useful for memory and processor intensive applications.
The Elite plans are for those who have large databases and need a lot of connections to be run concurrently. You also get more hard drive space, which can be used for backups, among other things. Finally, the Pro plans are perfect for those who face heavy traffic. The added RAM is beneficial for memory intensive applications as well.
Hostgator Support: How Good Is It?
Having read testimonials and reviews around the web, it is clear that Hostgator offers great support for its customers. They are very responsive and will respond to support requests quickly and efficiently. They offer 24/7 support throughout the year via email, live chat and telephone. Hundreds of video tutorials and help articles are provided as well.
I personally use Hostgator and have several plans with them although I do not use dedicated hosting. I recommend Hostgator to people I do business with. I think because they are a serious company and they serve so many people they are committed to doing things right in the first place and succeed. I also have hosting accounts at other hosting providers which I will not mention or recommend. (Perhaps I should to steer you away from them.)
You can always talk to someone at Hostgator. Sometimes you have to wait a few minutes but once you are with them they stay with you until your issue is resolved. Their staff helps you with problems even when you are the one causing the trouble. Their service seems to be quite sound to start with so I never have any trouble with their service.
So, if you are looking for quality dedicated server hosting then Hostgator is a good choice. They offer lots of plans that cater to various needs, offer responsive support, and have fully managed hosting, which means you do not have to worry about running the server by yourself. No matter how large your website is, it will be safe and sound at Hostgator.
Hostgator Dedicated Server Coupon
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